Closure and container



May 2, 1939- E. M. ENKUR 2,156,585

CLOSURE AND CONTAINER Filed July 5, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet lHE'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIL'llllllllll-l emi/MM40 May 2, 1939- E. M. ENKUR2,156,585

CLOSURE AND CONTAINER Filed July 5, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May2.11939,v

PATENr-oEFICE' 2,159,585 f cLosUnn 'AND coNTAnvEa Edward' M. Enkur,Baltimore, Md.,

assignor to Crown' Cork & Seal Company, Inc., Baltimore, Md., acorporation oi' New York Application July l5, 1935,`Serial No. 29,9'80

4 Claims. (Cl. B15-56) The present invention relates primarily to acontainer closure having provisions wherein venting of a; container towhich it is applied may occur. 'The invention also relates to theclosure 5 in combination with a container and to a container with a nishparticularly designed for most eective cooperation with the closure.A Byway of example, I have shown a practical embodiment of the inventioninthe accompanying drawings in which:

-Figure 1 is an elevation of the new closure applied to the newcontainer;

Figure 2 is `a bottom plan view of the closure;

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the top porvtion of the container inelevation and the closure in cross-section with the closure about to beapplied;

Figure 4 is an enlarged section of the container and closure as appliedthereto;

Figure 5 is a partial view similar to that of Figure 4 showing the partsin a slightly dierent relation; and,

Figure 6 is a view similar to that of Figure 5 but showing the relationof the parts upon the occurrence of venting.

Many food products, subsequent to their packkaging, develop gases sothat` the package is subjected to dangerous internal pressure. In thecase of a capped jar, for example, the pressure may blow off the cap orrupture the jar. Also,

some products subsequent to packaging are sub- Jected to heat treatmentwhereby the internal pressure is raised to a dangerous degree.

It is thepurpose of the present invention to provide sealing meansdesigned so that venting may occurto relieve excessive internalpressures, the sealing means immediately resuming its sealing functionwithout permitting any ingress of the external atmosphere. To this end Iprovide, as herein disclosed, a two part clo ure, one part of which mayhave no sealing functi n but merely serving as holding means for theother part which is a sealing member. With the closure applied, thesealing member, yieldably restrained by the holding member, may unseatsufl'iciently'to permit venting, immediately resuming seating positionunder the reaction of theholding member. While these two members mayassume din'erent forms and may be associated in different manners,

I have shown the holding'member in the accompanying drawings as being asnap-on and pry-oli cap. 'I'he sealing member is shown as beingconstituted by a disc. A central abutment provision Is present betweenthe disc and cap so that the outer portion of the disc is ordinarily4spaced passed beneath the bead, the skirt resumes its 2 somewhat fromthe under-surface of the cap top. This abutment provision mayvconveniently be a bulge in at least one of the members projectingtoward the other. i f

To refer particularly to the drawings, reference 5 numeral Illvdesignates a cap`of the said snap-on and pry-01T type having a-.topwall I I, a cylindrical skirt I2 and a lower rolled or wire edge I3.lThe skirt is provided withaxially extending corrugations andirl-pressed lugs I4 are formed in the 10 zone of the lower ends of thesecorrugations and above the wire edge.

Reference numeral I5 designates a container, vhere shown by way ofexample as a glass jar, the container having a peripheral locking beadI6 l5 for engagement by the lugs I4. .The spacing of the lugs and therelation of the internal skirt diameter to the maximum diameter of beadI6 are such that the'closure may be applied and removed withoutdeforming the lugs, the skirt 20 portions between the lugs iiexinginwardly to permit the skirt portions at the lugs to flex outwardly sothat the lugs pass the bead Without attening. When the lugs, in theapplication of the cap, have normal circularity so that, between thelugs,

- spaces exist between the bead and the skirt. The

top wall II of the cup is normally flat except that adjacent its edge itis provided with an annular inward oilset.forming a downwardlyprojecting 30 rib I'I.-

As here contemplated, the cap or shell I0 has no sealing function'and nosuch function for the cap is desired, since otherwise it would trap anygases escaping past the sealing member. 35

I prefer to use this type of cap in view of its simplicity and advantageof repeated use but I merely show it here as a desirable type of holdlngmember. It will be vunderstood that if a holding member having a skirttightly embracing the 40 bead were used, the cap would have to beperforated above the bead to permit proper escape of the vented gases.

'I'he sealing member is here shown as a disc I8 which has a flat'annular marginal channel I9 45 bordered by a downwardly projectingannular ange 20 whose free edge portion is outwardly ilared. Between theflange 20 and a shoulder 2| there is arranged an annular gasket 22whichis preferably aflixed to the channel I9. Centrally the disc is upwardlyspherically bulged to provide a protuberance or dome 23 which projectsabove the plane of portion I9. The disc and cap are assembled by pushingthe former into the latter. The iiared portion of flange 20 has adiameter 55 greater than the distance between opposite lugs .of the cap,the iiange momentarily flexing upon assembly to permit the disc to passbeyond the merging downwardly to the top of bead I 6.

In Figure 3, the lugs of the cap are shown resting on top of the beadI6. Upon the application of pressure to the top of the cap, the lugsride over the bead to a gripping position therebeneath as shown, forexample, in Figure 5. The relation of the parts is such that thepressure of the cap top against the bulge of the disc causes the gasketto bear against rib 26, the latter entering the gasket slightly toinsure a seal. The portion I 9 of the disc is still spaced from rib I 1,it will be noted, the depth of the cap skirt being sumcient to insurethis relation. Due to the reaction of the seal, the top of the cap maybe some what outwardly bulged, as shown.

Assuming that the container I5 has been filled with hot substance to theline X, Figure 5, upon cooling, the line will conceivably drop to thelevel Y, Figure 4, and there will be a vacuum condition in thecontainer. sealing disc downwardly until the gasket is pressed againstthe top sealing surface 25, this abutment limiting the penetration ofrib 26 into the gasket. As shown by way of example in Figure 4 with thedisc fully seated, rib 26 penetrates into the gasket only abouthalf-way. Under this vacuum condition, the bulge of the sealing disc mayhave moved slightly away from the top wall of the cap as shown in Figure4 so that the disc is seated solely due to atmospheric pressure. Due tothe provision of the rib 26 and the expanded sealing surface 25, anextremely effective seal is secured and this condition will bemaintained unless the container and its contents are againl subjected toheat or the container contents generate gas to the extent of causing theoccurrence of excess internal pressure.

When for any reason an excessive internal pressure occurs, the marginalportion of the disc fiexes upwardly to a position such as is shown inFigure 6, the gasket rising slightly above surface 25 and rib 26 so thatventing may occur. As soon as venting has ceased, the marginal portionof the disc immediately returns to sealing posilgion being urged theretoby the abutment provisions between it and the cap. During the ventingoperation, the cap remains locked securely in position, and even if thelugs have ridden slightly upwardly and outwardly on the lower beadshoulder, they will return to their original position immediately uponpressure releases.

lines of force extend from the center of the cap top where pressure isapplied by the disc to the lugs.y It will also be evident that thesingle 'point contact between the holding member, and

the sealing member as -provided by the spherical bulge, equalizes theeffect of the former on the latter so that even sealing of the latter isassured.

Preferably, the gasket 22 is of a relatively inelastic or non-resilientrubber composition so that it cannot expand sufliciently to obliteratethe The vacuum draws the Such/g a riding tendency is not likely to occursince vthe groove caused by rib 26, this groove remaining well definedas indicated in Figure 6 to enable venting to occur without an undueldegree of disc iiexure. The gasket material may be of the gen'.- eralcomposition described in the patent to Parker,

No. 1,899,821 suitably modiiied to render -the I Rubber ..pounds- 2'7Accelerator ounces- 6 Anti-oxidant --pound V4, Stearic acid --pounds 2Sulphur dn 1V; Zinc oxide dn 2 Talc' dn 50 Ceresin wax s do 17 Lampblack(color) grams' 3 It will be understood that variations in the form andarrangement of the described parts may be made without departure fromthe invention, the scope oi which is definedin the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a container having a mouth surrounded by a at annularmarginal surface having formed thereon a relatively narrow annular rib,a closure element overlying said mouth and said marginal surface, agasket engaged between said closure element and said surface and amxedto the former, said rib entering the gasket a distance limited by theengagement of said gasket with said surface, and means for holding theclosure element against unseating movement when a pressure below acertain limit exists in the container while enabling the closure elementand gasket to lift under a pressure above said limit whereby to vent theexcess pressure.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the gasket is relativelyinelastic so that upon lifting thereof the depression formed thereinbythe rib will be largely retained.

3. In combination, a container having a mouth, a closure disk having anannular surface overlying the lip surface of the container mouth, one ofsaid surfaces being fiat and the other being fiat with the exception ofa slight annular rib projecting toward said one of said surfaces, agasket compressed between said surfaces with said rib embedded therein,and means for holding said closure disk against unseating movement whena pressure below a certain limit exists in the container while enablingthe closure element and gasket to lift under a pressure above said limitwhereby to vent the excess pressure, said gasket being amxed to said oneof said surfaces and being relatively inelastic so that upon lifting ofsaid closure disk the depression formed in the gasket by the rib will belargely retained.

4. In combination, a container having a mouth surrounded by a neckprovided with an external locking bead, an imperforate cap member havinga skirt provided withinpressed lugs for interlocking with the bead, thediameter of the skirt being such that its surfaces intermediate the lugsare spaced from the side of the bead, the cap top being spaced above thelip surface of the neck when the lugs are engaged with the bead, a

resilient closure disc having an annular surface overlying said lipsurface, one of said surfaces being flat and the other being fiat withthe exception of a slight annular rib projecting toward said one of saidsurfaces, a gasket compressed lo the cap top spaced inwardly from theedge of the disc, the cap holding the disc against unseating movementwhen a pressure below a certain limit exists in the container whileenabling the marginal portion of the disc to lift under a pressure abovesaid limit whereby to vent the excess pressure past the gasket, thegasket being relatively inelastic so that upon lifting of the disc thedepression formed in the gasket by the rib will be largely retained.

EDWARD M. ENKUR..

